Four constituents were seeking to have Carmichael deselected as an MP after he leaked a memo in April to The Daily Telegraph which suggested that Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon had told the French Ambassador she would prefer David Cameron to remain prime minister.

The case was broadcast live on STV Edinburgh and STV Glasgow and online on the STV website.

STV head of news Gordon Macmillan said: ''This case was a significant advance in providing an opportunity for the public to see the justice system in action and it provided an important live insight – most especially for Mr Carmichael’s constituents – into the legal arguments in this case.”

STV also provided the television pictures to other media organisations.

In 2012 STV broadcast the sentencing of convicted murderer David Gillroy.

A spokesman for STV said of the latest case: "While the court proceedings were dense in places, our coverage included expert studio discussion and debate chaired by our award-winning political editor Bernard Ponsomby, to help viewers keep track of the arguments."